You reach a stage in your life when useless stuff starts to pile up and you spend more time trying to move it around or clean it than you do actually using it. So I have been thinking about my Top Ten Practical Gifts that I might want and that would make great gifts. So if you are stuck on some ideas for people you think are hard to buy presents for then I hope this helps.
1. Grocery Store Gift card.
Food is getting really expensive. Get a gift card for food. You can get something like a card to Whole Foods or even Eataly or the closest store to the person that you are getting the card for. The less money spent on basic groceries the more money to have fun. Cards to places like Eataly are splurges for foods you can't get all the time.
2. Uber Gift Card.
You can get an Uber gift card that's good for food delivery and ride shares. Great for those sick days or rushed days or when you are out partying and need a safe ride home or even a ride to somewhere with no parking which is more common these days.
3. Netflix gift card.
This one is pretty self explanatory. Who doesn't want to binge watch and Netflix and chill in the cold winter months. Getting a gift card means you don't have to think about paying those Netflix bills and can watch whenever you want to.
4. Ikea Gift card or something useful that someone needs from Ikea. Personally I need a new dresser so a gift card towards one would be a great thing. They also have food and great seasonal decorating items.
5. Cineplex movie gift card.
Get together with your friends for dinner and a movie. Give a great gift card and your friends can enjoy a night in one of the VIP theatres. If you haven't done that you should try it. You won't want to sit in a regular seat again.
6. A Restaurant Gift Card.
There are lots of restaurant options here. The Keg, and I am sure there are lots of local hidden gem restaurants that have gift cards. Give someone a night away from cooking. Mom's would especially love this.
7. Cleaning service gift card.
Who wouldn't want someone to come and clean your house? Unless you are OCD you probably would rather do anything else with your time. I love to have my home clean but find it's hard to keep it looking as clean as I would like because it's time consuming and takes a lot of energy.
8. A good night's sleep.
How about putting a sleep kit together. A couple of really great pillows. A high quality sheet set. A weighted blanket is very popular these days. A sleep mask. Some lavendar linen spray. A sound machine. Some relaxing before bed teas or some comfy pajamas.
9. Coffee Time
Personally when I get a Starbucks gift card it makes me happy because Starbucks is great but it's pretty pricey when you have it all the time. You can get a cool Starbucks mug and add a gift card to it to keep the coffee love going. If your people are addicted to Tim Horton's then do the same thing or maybe a container of Tims coffee if they like to have it at home too.
10. Winners, Homesense, Marshalls or The Bay Gift card.
So as you can tell I am all about the practical gift cards. I picked these places because they are all over and you can get almost anything. If you need clothes, makeup, home goods and even some treats then this is a great way to get those things without burning a hole in your wallet. Ever little bit helps stretch the dollars.
So as you can see I have chosen a lot of gift cards but I would suggest that you get creative in presenting them. Put them in a mug that means something to the person. My boss found a trick gift card holder. Wrap it up in box of chocolates or with a pair of gloves or whatever fun thing you can think of.
But be careful and get the cards direct from the source because there are a lot of people out to scam the money from those gift cards and make sure they don't have expiry dates.
